Spybot Help

[Bubbles]

The last two times I've started Spybot: Search and Destroy, it's only run bot-checks that last 15 seconds each. It used to scan all my files, now it only scans a few Internet Explorer files.

Can someone please help me out here?

[Dick Schmidt]

My Spybot has always dropped the last 10% or so, and has done so for several updates. However it is doing the rest of the scan. The best advice I can offer is to go to www.lavasoft.com and download Ad-Aware. This is (in my opinion) a much better product and finds spyware that Spybot misses. Like Spybot, it is free to home users.

Dick


Who likes his computer squeaky clean.

[JustRalph]

Download the latest version and re-install...........

[Tom]

I use both Spybot and AdAware, and neither prgram gets rid of everything. I run AdAware, get, say 63 new critical items, delete them, then run it again immediately, and now get, say 135! new criticals. Continuously.
Spybot keeps identifying problems, fixing them, then if I run it again immediately, the same files are back.
All this with the computer unplugged from the internet.
My McAfee finds virtually nothing and yet my computer is 90% unusable because of hijackers.
I run Crapcleaner at least 3 times every day, erase all tmp files every hour, turned off the restore feature, and every day the computer gets worse.
My next spyware remover will be a hammer!
I have my second computer that goes nowhere byt HTR, PA, and DRF, and I get no email on it at all.
Itworks.

[Equineer]

Originally posted by JustRalph
Download the latest version and re-install........... In my experience, an early clue that your advice should be acted upon, is when SpyBot stops finding new updates (e.g., detection rules) on a fairly frequent basis.

I've been through that cycle three times, but am clueless about whether this is a SpyBot bug or just a not very graceful feature that helps increment the download counters.

[RXB]

Originally posted by Bubbles
The last two times I've started Spybot: Search and Destroy, it's only run bot-checks that last 15 seconds each. It used to scan all my files, now it only scans a few Internet Explorer files.

Can someone please help me out here?

Somehow you must have changed the settings to exclude most files from the scanning process. Not sure how this would've happened.

The newest version of Spybot is 1.3, and it is definitely an improvement. If you don't have the new version, uninstall 1.2 and download/install 1.3.

(PS, I think that Spybot is at least as good, if not better than Ad-Aware's free version.)

[RXB]

Originally posted by Tom
I use both Spybot and AdAware, and neither prgram gets rid of everything. I run AdAware, get, say 63 new critical items, delete them, then run it again immediately, and now get, say 135! new criticals. Continuously.
Spybot keeps identifying problems, fixing them, then if I run it again immediately, the same files are back.
All this with the computer unplugged from the internet.
My McAfee finds virtually nothing and yet my computer is 90% unusable because of hijackers.
I run Crapcleaner at least 3 times every day, erase all tmp files every hour, turned off the restore feature, and every day the computer gets worse.
My next spyware remover will be a hammer!
I have my second computer that goes nowhere byt HTR, PA, and DRF, and I get no email on it at all.
Itworks.

Tom, there are things called 'tricklers' which can allow some spyware files to reinstall themselves immediately when they are deleted. You must have some tricklers that are avoiding detection by the anti-spyware programs.

My computer has always been quite clean, so I can't tell you what you need to do to rid yours of the little s.o.b's; perhaps someone else can offer advice.

[Bubbles]

I downloaded Ad-Aware. Found 230+ things due to Spybot's ineffectiveness over the past few days. Not fun to wait as it gathers every single one, but it gets the job done.

[JustRalph]

Originally posted by RXB
Somehow you must have changed the settings to exclude most files from the scanning process. Not sure how this would've happened.

The newest version of Spybot is 1.3, and it is definitely an improvement. If you don't have the new version, uninstall 1.2 and download/install 1.3.

(PS, I think that Spybot is at least as good, if not better than Ad-Aware's free version.)

this is easy to do in "advanced mode" of spybot. There are some out there that claim they have some spyware that detects spybot on the system and turns off most detection schemes..........maybe this is what happen................

You are right about 1.3 being much better than 1.2

[Figman]

I have used SpyBot, AdAware and CrapCleaner the past couple of years. I have settled on CrapCleaner and AdAware-SE.

Each night I run CrapCleaner (in all three modes) 1st - then AdAware 2nd and have discarded SpyBot. For the last few months things are going extremely well!

[Tom]

Spybot Advanced mode...the security warning about disabling critical files scred me off trying this. How you you know what not to get rid of?

[imaufo@AR]

Check to see wether you have cookies installed on your computer.

I had an awful program on my computer last night & eventually found various files donloaded on my computer that I had to remove by hand. I used a free virus scanner ( anyone will do)

eg

http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/com/activescan_principal.htm

http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/

http://us.mcafee.com/root/mfs/default.asp?WWW_URL=www.mcafee.com/myapps/mfs/scan.asp

http://www.webroot.com/services/spyaudit-error.php


http://www.stopzilla.com/download/download_select.asp?AID=10004&S=5&type=DOWNLOAD&topic=&source=&AAID=&dre=


that listed the cookies and programs that were on there...it was just a matter of looking them up ( my computer/ documents etc) & getting rid of them. If you cant find them open up the menu bar and use the search program to find out where they are hiding.

A "system restore" afterwards also helps ( if you are running XP this is always a good fix as it restores any missing files).

Some programs go through MS messenger which you can switch off...I downloaded a free trial of Pop up blocker

http://www.webroot.com/shoppingcart/tryme.php?bjpc=42150&vcode=DT03

which allows you to do this...even though the free trial period is over the program is still there that allows you to turn this annoying component off.


more discussion

http://www.antionline.com/showthread.php?threadid=249008

[Tom]

I am finding .dll files appearing in my Windows\system32 folder.
Thet are all of dates where I have recently had servere problems with hijacking, and they only have two tabs inside - General and Summary.
All of them report Unknown application for opens with.
Are these problem siles planted, and can I delete tham safely? Not one of my virus/spyware programs are identifying these, but then again, not one of them is cleaning out any problems, either.
Also, Elite Toolbar.....is that a hijack porogram?

I guess the only safe thing to do is stay off the damn internet.

[imaufo@AR]

Are you running XP and do you have a firewall? Xp has its own firewall and it should be turned on so people cant access your computer.

I cant tell if the files are malicious or not but try deleting them or sending to the recycle bin...you will get a warning if undsafe to remove ( hopefully)

If you stuff up then do a system restore. ( open start menu, accessories...system restore)